Henderson at home on sidelines

When Mitch Henderson '98 walked off the court in Hartford, Conn., after a 63-56 loss to Michigan State in the second round of the 1998 NCAA tournament, the playing career of a great Princeton guard came to a close.

The Tiger star refused to fade away, however, and his life in the basketball world was nowhere close to being over.

Henderson has taken a career path increasingly common for former Orange and Black players — he joined the fraternity of Princeton coaches. Henderson is in the midst of his sixth season as an assistant coach at Northwestern University where his former college coach — Bill Carmody — runs the show.

In truth, Henderson's decision to become a coach surprised few. During his career with the Tigers, he was among the most effective floor generals in program history. His senior season, during which he was a co-captain of the team and earned second-team all-Ivy honors, remains one of the best in Princeton history.

That year, Henderson led the Tigers to a No. 8 national ranking and a 27-2 record, the best winning percentage in the country that year. Their only losses came against Michigan State, which won the national title the following year, and North Carolina, which went on to the Final Four that season.

While the tournament loss to Michigan State was a disappointment for Princeton and underdog fans, March Madness still gave Henderson and the Tigers many fond memories from 1995-98.

His sophomore season, Henderson's first year as a starter, the Tigers defeated Penn in a playoff game to earn the Ivy League's NCAA berth. Princeton then pulled off one of the most stunning upsets in NCAA history, shocking defending champion UCLA, 43-41, in the first round.

One particular image from that game has been seared into the collective mind of every Tiger basketball fan — the image of Henderson jubilantly leaping into the air with arms outstretched while a Bruins player watches dejectedly.

But it is not just his basketball exploits that Henderson remembers from his four years at Princeton.

"I really learned to trust my teammates," Henderson said. "Those guys were a great part of Princeton for me, and they still are some of my best friends today."

Henderson also fondly recalls his collegiate experience off the court.

"I had four great years to interact with all types of people," Henderson said. "I was fortunate to be at Princeton where I could meet talented people in all walks of life."

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At Princeton, Henderson was coached by two brilliant coaches, Carmody and the legendary Pete Carril, who retired after Henderson's sophomore season. Both taught him the simplicity of the game in the context of the storied Princeton offense.

After graduating with a degree in economics, Henderson bounced around the NBA, working out with Carril and the Sacramento Kings before participating in a mini-camp for the Atlanta Hawks. The NBA lockout in June 1998, however, forced Henderson to put his plans on hold, and he played in Ireland for a season.

When the lockout ended in January 1999, Henderson went back to the Hawks for a week of training camp, but he did not earn a permanent spot on the team.

After working as a research associate for the Lendx Corporation in San Francisco, Henderson decided that a career in coaching held the most promise.

When Carmody moved from Princeton to Northwestern at the start of the 1999-2000 season, Henderson followed him to Evanston, Ill.

Henderson says he enjoys working for his former coach, despite some initial adjustments.

"It was hard at first to get away from the player-coach relationship," Henderson said, "but Bill is really easy to work for. He has a relaxed, smart approach to preparing assistants and helping us do what's best for the program."

The Wildcats have traditionally resided in the cellar of the Big 10, but the program has shown signs of life with the introduction of Carmody and Henderson. Still, Henderson admits, Northwestern has plenty of room for improvement — this season, the Wildcats are just 12-12 overall and 4-7 in their conference.

For the near future, Henderson's sole focus is helping the Wildcats take the next step toward improving their game, but he maintains aspirations of eventually becoming a head coach.

If he gets his way, he'll have a few new NCAA tournament memories to add to those from his days of wearing Orange and Black.